This post contains affiliate links.
Our homemade General Tso's Chicken recipe includes crispy pan-fried chicken in a sweet, sticky sauce made with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar.
If you enjoy making Chinese-inspired recipes, try my Kung Pao Shrimp, Lettuce Wraps, Asian Chicken Salad, or Chow Mein.
Why I love this recipe:
- Family Favorite – General Tso's Chicken is one of my family's favorite dishes when we get takeout, so everyone gets excited when I attempt to make it from home! I can't say this recipe is authentic (here's a truly authentic General Tso's recipe), but my version is a little healthier (pan fried chicken) and has the same flavors, using basic ingredients.
- Affordable – I was excited to create my own version of this popular dish in my kitchen to save us money on eating out without sacrificing any flavor.
- Easy – You just batter and pan fry the chicken and toss it in a General tso's sauce. It's a fun, simple recipe even beginners will enjoy making.
How to make General Tso Chicken:
Make Sauce: Whisk together hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, ginger, cornstarch and red pepper flakes (reduce amount for less spice, if desired).
Prep Breading: In a large ziplock bag, combine cornstarch, flour, salt and pepper then shake, shake, shake. In a small bowl, whisk egg whites.
Bread Chicken: Coat chicken pieces in egg whites, lift and allow to drip off, then drop into breading bag. Shake until coated.
Fry: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat then add half a cup of oil. Once oil is hot, fry the chicken in batches (don’t crowd), 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove to a plate.
Combine: Add sauce to same pan and simmer until warm and thickened. Toss the chicken in the sauce just before serving.
Serve this easy General Tso Chicken recipe with white or brown rice (or for some Pan-Asian fusion, Kimchi Fried Rice) garnished with green onions and/or sesame seeds.
Variations:
- Vegetarian: Sub extra-firm tofu for chicken. Press excess moisture out of the tofu by putting it between paper towels then putting something heavy like a cast-iron skillet on top, leaving it for a few minutes. Proceed as with the chicken.
- Air-Fryer: Preheat to 400 degrees and, after breading, spread chicken pieces evenly so they don’t touch, spray with olive oil, and cook for 15 minutes.
- Slow Cooker: Mix sauce ingredients together. Prepare the chicken the same, but cook on very high heat for only 1 minute on each side, to brown the coating but not cook the chicken through. Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray and add chicken, then pour half of the sauce on top. Cook on LOW for 2-3 hours then stir in the remaining sauce then garnish with chopped green onions.
More Chicken Recipes:
- Chicken Casserole
- Dirty Rice
- One Pan Jambalaya
- Chicken and Rice Enchiladas
- Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Southwest Egg Rolls
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Orzo Salad
General Tso’s Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, , cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup oil, (vegetable or canola oil)
General Tso's Sauce:
- 2/3 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, , packed
- 3 cloves garlic, , minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger, , or 1 Tablespoon fresh minced ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Make General Tso's Sauce: Add the sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk well to combine. Set aside.
- Make breading: Add cornstarch, flour, and salt and pepper to a large ziplock bag and shake to combine. Whisk egg whites in a separate bowl.
- Coat chicken: Add chicken pieces to the egg whites and toss to coat. Spoon coated chicken pieces into the ziplock bag, allowing excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Shake the bag to coat chicken evenly in the cornstarch mixture.
- Cook chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. Once oil is hot, add some of the chicken (it's best to cook the chicken in 2 or 3 batches, so it browns better). Cook the chicken 2-3 minutes on each side, until the coating is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Remove to a plate. Repeat until all of the chicken has cooked, and set aside on a plate.
- Add sauce: Add the sauce to the pan and simmer until warm and thickened. Toss the chicken in the sauce just before serving.
- Serve with hot cooked white or brown rice. Garnish with chopped green onions.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Text me new recipe ideas!
Simple, tasty ideas sent once a week. No spam.
Follow Me
I originally shared this recipe February 2016. Updated August 2020 and October 2023.
This General Tso’s Chicken is so delicious! Glad I got to get all my needed ingredients at Karman Foods. Fast and reliable! The taste was absolutely perfect! This is my new fave dish.
This was a HUGE hit with my family! I cooked a little more chicken and used sesame oil instead of canola. Great recipe!
Fabulous recipe I made for the first time tonight. It was magical. I had steamed green beans, white rice and a bit of homemade kimchi along side and it was the perfect meal!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times. The sauce is really delicious, with such a nice tang. Recently I tried the air fryer, and it worked great (apart from the chicken getting stuck to the tray, which I assumed would happen). Still it turned out great!
I made this tonight and it turned out amazing! A new family favorite for sure. Thanks!
I have made this a few times. I make veggies (Chinese) and a fried rice. My husband and I love it. I have made quite a few things from this site. I like the site very much.
This was a huge hit with my family! They have been requesting General Tso. The first recipe I tried was ok-ish but this one hit it out of the park. The sauce was great the chicken was crispy and flavorful. I was told to add it to “the list”!
I thought this was a very good version of General Tso’s Chicken. Thinking the next time I cook it I will drain out most of the oil after cooking the chicken. I didn’t think to do that and I felt it was a bit too much. Is it even necessary to have the oil upon adding the sauce to the pan, or does it keep the sauce from sticking?
I agree . There was to much oil left over after cooking the chicken. I discarded almost all of before adding the sauce to the pan. Next time I’ll omit or use less pepper flakes. Fresh ginger used instead of ground ginger. Boneless chicken thighs instead of breast . Served with Jasmine rice and broccoli Overall a easy tasty weekday meal.
This was really good and fairly easy to make. I deep fried the chicken in about an inch of oil in my Dutch oven which made things go a little faster, I think. I also used less chili flakes, my husband and I don’t like too much heat. This is a keeper in our house
What a waste of perfectly good chicken! The sauce was not good! Even my husband who eats anything didn’t eat it. Most of it went in the compost bin.